Author: Rebecca Upton

I’ll leave you to your Sudoku puzzles
and cryptography I can never make sense of.
My telepathy is weak,
or maybe the strength of our wireless internet connection is to blame.
I saw the smoke signals
and traced the braille in your letters
but neither gave me clarity.

I wonder how much time we collectively spend staring at our cell phones and computer screens,
and if we’re any better off for it.
Every time I check my e-mail it’s mostly spam,
and I don’t care for most of what is said on my Facebook newsfeed.
Kerouac didn’t have to deal with this and neither should I.

I’ve read a thousand Wikipedia articles
and spent hours on Netflix
but I haven’t been to the Eiffel Tower
or even the Grand Canyon.

Before the internet I had board games
and because of this I can solve the murder from the paper you’re reading,
it was Reverend Green in the kitchen with the revolver.

Sometimes I get myself mixed up with characters from books.
I think about the time I ran away from prep school.
Then I think never mind, that was Holden Caulfield.
I don’t think anyone can verify that Holden Caulfield and I aren’t the same person.
I know that I certainly can’t
and I don’t want to.